


Together Forever in Love

by reginahalliwell



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: CW: conversion therapy, Camp, Canon Compliant, Canon Queer Relationship, Chocolate, Comeplay, Coming Out, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dirty Talk, Domestic Fluff, Frottage, Gender Roles, Hand Jobs, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Movie Night, POV Patrick, Patrick Brewer is Gay, Praise Kink, Shameless Name-Dropping, Spoilers: Adam & Steve, Spoilers: Blue is the Warmest Color, Spoilers: Brokeback Mountain, Spoilers: But I'm a Cheerleader, Spoilers: Call Me By Your Name, Tenderness, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:42:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24205339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reginahalliwell/pseuds/reginahalliwell
Summary: David is leading Patrick through a queer cinema list for educational purposes, and this movie night they're up to But I'm a Cheerleader. Serious conversations, tenderness, introspection, fluff, and sexy times ensue.
Relationships: Patrick Brewer & Rachel, Patrick Brewer/David Rose, Stevie Budd & David Rose
Comments: 22
Kudos: 94
Collections: Reel Schitt's Creek Prompt Fest





	Together Forever in Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DoubleL27](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoubleL27/gifts).
  * In response to a prompt by [DoubleL27](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoubleL27/pseuds/DoubleL27) in the [Reel_Schitts_Creek](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Reel_Schitts_Creek) collection. 



> **Prompt: But I'm a Cheerleader**  
>  This would make for a hell of an Alexis/Stevie AU or a David/Patrick AU. 
> 
> BUT
> 
> It could also be part of Patrick's consumption of queer film in a canon compliant fic.
> 
> Author Notes: 
> 
> 1\. If you haven't seen But I'm a Cheerleader, you can still enjoy this fic (and will definitely be spoiled for it, because it's pretty much all here), but if you haven't, I recommend stopping everything and going to watch it, because it's amazing.
> 
> 2\. I wrote this as taking place post "The Incident," and while that's well into David and Patrick's relationship and I think a lot of the conversations they have here would have probably already taken place, I don't care, because I wanted to write them. So, there. 
> 
> 3\. Also, I want to note that there is some discourse here about "passing" as straight and about stereotypical representations of gender and sexuality, but that I am aware gender and sexuality are a spectrum and are very fluid. This snapshot of David and Patrick is one of many ways I see them as people and as a couple, and I wanted to explore that.

“You still want to watch a movie later?” David asked as Patrick stood at the stove finishing up what smelled like a delicious dinner.

Patrick turned just enough to smile at his fiancé. “Sure. Which one are we up to on the list?”

“Let me check,” David said, pulling up the queer film and tv list on his phone. They had just watched _Call Me By Your Name_ last week, and it put them both in a bit of a funk. “Let’s watch something happy,” David suggested.

“Oh, thank God,” Patrick sighed in response. Educational though this whole process was, it was more emotionally taxing than he had expected.

“What? It’s not my fault that queer cinema has historically focused on super depressing, dramatic narratives.”

“No, but it _is_ your fault you put them on the list. This is supposed to be fun, David,” Patrick pouted, turning back to the skillet in his hand.

“Yes, well, homophobia is not fun,” David countered, tipping his head back and squinting a bit. “And historically, there’s been lots of that. Hence, sad movies.”

“Did you just say ‘hence’?”

“Shut up,” David countered, looking down at the list and considering their options.

**~**

**Camp**

  * ~~Pink Flamingos~~
  * ~~The Rocky Horror Picture Show~~
  * Cry Baby
  * But I’m a Cheerleader



**Queer History**

  * And the Band Played On
  * Paris is Burning
  * ~~Kinsey~~
  * ~~Milk~~
  * ~~The Imitation Game~~
  * Dallas Buyers Club
  * The Danish Girl



**Happy**

  * ~~Adam and Steve~~
  * ~~The Birdcage~~
  * ~~Love, Simon~~
  * Maurice
  * Moonlight
  * To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
  * GBF
  * Romeos



**Sad/Angsty**

  * ~~Brokeback Mountain~~
  * ~~Call Me By Your Name~~
  * Cruising
  * ~~Boys Don’t Cry~~
  * Parting Glances
  * My Own Private Idaho
  * Midnight Cowboy
  * The Boys in the Band
  * Hedwig and the Angry Inch
  * ~~Blue is the Warmest Color~~



**Homoerotic but Ostensibly Straight**

  * ~~Interview with the Vampire~~
  * ~~The Lost Boys~~
  * ~~X-Men~~
  * ~~Troy~~
  * Top Gun
  * The Fast and the Furious



**Queer TV**

  * Shadowhunters
  * ~~RuPaul’s Drag Race~~
  * Sense8
  * ~~Sex Education~~
  * ~~Torchwood~~
  * Special
  * Pose
  * Queer as Folk (UK)
  * Queer as Folk (US)
  * Queer Eye for the Straight Guy



~

After assessing the generally serious vibe of most of their remaining options, David decided. “Okay, fine. Let’s watch _But I’m a Cheerleader_.”

“That sounds… a little cheesy,” Patrick finished, not sure what he was getting himself into. A few of the films on David’s list he had heard of, or at least knew vaguely what they were about. _But I’m a Cheerleader_ didn’t exactly sound like something that would be up his alley.

“Oh, you’ll love it. It’s super campy and funny and it actually has a happy ending. Trust me,” David said.

“I do,” Patrick agreed, the look on his face turning from annoyance to fondness. He loved this man. He was going to marry this man. “Stir-fry’s done!” he announced, happy with this little ritual they had. It was all delightfully domestic, in a way he had never really imagined enjoying.

Patrick made dinner for them every Tuesday night come hell or high water, and then they settled in together to watch a movie and cuddle. Sometimes it led to more than that, but either way it was always a chance for them to spend quality time together. Lately, though, the movies had not only killed the mood, but had left a sour taste in Patrick’s mouth. As much as he had loved _Call Me By Your Name_ , the film ended with both Patrick and David in tears alongside Timothée Chalamet, and Oliver’s choice to marry a woman at the end of it had hit a little too close to home.

David had set up the little table as he did every Tuesday, while Patrick cooked them both something delicious. He couldn’t be trusted in the kitchen—he had told Patrick the story of the enchiladas, and they both agreed it might be safest if he didn’t try to cook again anytime soon—but Patrick’s food was always amazing.

“Okay, be careful,” Patrick warned him, setting the skillet down on a trivet to the side of their bowls. “It’s really hot.” He moved back to the countertop and spooned some brown rice into a bowl, returning to the table to set it down on the other side.

“I love you,” David told him with a smile. It was getting more frequent, this surprise declaration of his. Since Singles’ Week, when Patrick had made his day more stressful and then David had surprised him by coming back and returning his love, David had steadily grown more comfortable with saying the words aloud. When they got engaged, he began to offer them unprompted more and more.

Now, David seemed wholly secure in his feelings for Patrick and in their relationship together. It was comforting to know that they had passed the infatuation stage, where they simply couldn’t get enough of one another, into a much more satisfying one where they knew they would be together long term and could just enjoy each other.

The meal passed in comfort, as they discussed customers that had come into the store that day, the food they’d had from the Café for lunch, Moira’s daily ensemble… the little things that made up their life together.

“That was so good,” David tipped his head back in pleasure, eyes shut as he savored the last bite. Patrick had noticed over their time together that David’s physical responses to food and sex were _uncannily similar_. He chose not to comment, but thought to himself when he saw David’s food face or his orgasm face how indistinguishable they sometimes were.

“It wasn’t _that_ good, David,” Patrick couldn’t help but tease him. He loved how much David loved his food, though, and was always happy to be praised for it. It was another skill at which he was eerily competent. “But I appreciate it anyway.”

David did a little shimmy of enjoyment as he smiled. “What’s for dessert?” he asked, and if this were pornography, he might have done a terrible wink like Alexis did to really drive the double entendre home. But they weren’t playing that game tonight.

“Well, I figured since we got some of that organic chocolate into the store today—” he started, before David leapt up.

“How could I have forgotten?” David practically shrieked, running to his bag to grab the bar they had brought home with them to “sample” before selling it. Patrick had protested, saying it was sure to be delicious, but David insisted they try it.

“Why don’t you let your dinner settle first?” Patrick asked, always the more mature one. If he had been alone, David would have already scarfed down the whole bar. As it was, Patrick was pretty sure he would end up trying only a square or two while David devoured the majority of it. “We could get the movie started,” he suggested.

David sighed. “Fine. I’ll wait,” he agreed, getting up to put in the DVD of _But I’m a Cheerleader_ , which was frustratingly not available on any streaming sites. Thankfully, he had invested in a hard copy of the film years ago when Stevie had wanted to watch it with him. They had occasionally gotten incredibly stoned and cackled and quoted the movie at each other while they watched it.

The film loaded up as David settled into the couch, Patrick’s arm reaching out to pull him closer. David leaned into his fiancé, cherishing the feel of Patrick’s shoulders as David held him there.

“So what do I need to know about this movie?” Patrick asked, ready to further his queer film education.

“Okay, so this is satire, so don’t think it’s actually trying to be stereotypical and all gender-roley. It’s supposed to be fun, and campy, and sweet. So just go with it,” David advised. “Oh, and there’s some people you’ll recognize, maybe. Like, RuPaul is in this, and Mink Stole. And a lot of the actresses are in other queer films, but nothing we’ve watched so far. Anyway, it’s good, you’ll love it.”

“Okay, David,” Patrick agreed, leaning over to press a kiss on his fiancé’s neck. Even if he hated the movie, he could watch David enjoy it, and could spend the next two hours cuddling on the couch with his fiancé, which he would never consider a bad way to spend the evening.

Patrick’s mouth met David’s neck, lightly kissing him and hovering to breathe just above it. The skin beneath his lips rose up in goosebumps at the touch, and Patrick was thrilled that he could still cause this reaction in David’s body. They had kissed thousands of times by now and yet their attraction to and affection for one another hadn’t diminished. Patrick couldn’t have ever imagined it could be like this. He had never felt this with anyone, and he supposed that was as much validation as he might ever need.

The film started up, a funky song playing over the credits. “Chick Habit” really set the mood for the film, which seemed true to its title as cheerleaders bounded and tumbled through the air, the camera focusing on their chests and spankies. Well, that was a start.

David stroked the shoulder his arm was around, his fingers drawing circles on Patrick’s tee shirt. He had worn a sweater to work—no button-down today—but changed into a tee and joggers to avoid getting hot oil stains on his clothes as he cooked.

“Is that Michelle Williams?” Patrick asked. It looked like Michelle Williams. They had recently watched _Brokeback Mountain_ together, which had wrecked them both. David had insisted that his tears were for Heath Ledger’s death, not the ending of the film, but Patrick could tell just how much it affected him. Hell, Patrick was touched by _Brokeback Mountain_ too. Watching two gay men enter loveless marriages and waste their early lives not loving each other was hard to see, and it reminded Patrick of how he had just abandoned his old life, moved to Schitt’s Creek. He had taken that risk, and he thanked God every day he hadn’t let himself marry Rachel and stay in a relationship that would have never fulfilled him.

Plus, fucking David was pretty much the best thing he’d ever experienced, and the thought of having missed out on that privilege was unconscionable.

“Yep, it is indeed. This was during the _Dawson’s Creek_ era,” David explained, as though that would be helpful information for Patrick.

“Right, okay,” Patrick accepted the reference, though he had never actually watched that show. Rachel had gotten really obsessed with it for a while, but she had never made him watch it with her. He knew it starred Michelle Williams and Katie Holmes before they got really famous, but it wasn’t exactly his type of show. Then again, David had introduced him to so many things he would have previously said were not his cup of tea. Maybe he would love _But I’m a Cheerleader_ too.

The lead character, who Patrick was learning was named Megan, did not seem to think she was gay. She was a cheerleader, and she had a boyfriend, whose kisses were grossing Patrick out, but based on the premise of the movie, Patrick was pretty sure she was actually a lesbian.

Watching Megan’s boyfriend—Jared?—waggle his tongue inside her open mouth while she stared at the car’s roof was painful to watch, and felt like it went on forever. He turned to David, whose face was also scrunched up in disgust. “Don’t worry, they won’t be kissing any more after this.”

“That’s not exactly a representation of how I felt when I kissed girls,” Patrick observed, trying to find a way to speed up this scene in his mind. “I mean, I didn’t love kissing Rachel. But it was never disgusting. Just…nothing.”

“Maybe Rachel was a better kisser than Jared,” David offered. “Not that that’s difficult,” he continued, clearly judging the man’s technique.

“Maybe,” Patrick conceded. But now he was thinking about it. Thinking about how different even his first kiss with David had felt. He hadn’t been overselling it when he had explained the next day—it really had felt like what people in the movies seem to feel, what society told them a first kiss could feel like. That first kiss from David, soft and brief and unsure though it was, was one of his happiest memories. It had changed everything, made Patrick feel things he didn’t even though his body was capable of feeling. If being engaged to Rachel had felt like nothing, just a single kiss from David felt like _everything_.

The kissing was over. Thank God.

But now RuPaul—who, yes, Patrick did recognize—was preparing to run what was clearly an intervention for Megan. His character was wearing all primary blue, bright and color blocked with “Straight is Great” printed on the tee shirt. Now Patrick understood why David had cautioned him about the film’s tone and aesthetic.

When Megan’s “friends” and family presented their evidence, it was like a montage of Patrick’s early life. His pre-Schitt’s Creek life. He remembered the hockey and baseball he played, tactile sports where touching other men was socially acceptable. He remembered the posters on his wall in his childhood bedroom, famous athletes whose physical attractiveness, he had assured himself, was incidental to his admiration for their skills. He remembered the nights where he and Rachel had sex, or made out, or even just cuddled, and he had wondered if he was supposed to feel something different.

Leaving home and coming here didn’t mean he suddenly realized that, though. It wasn’t until weeks later when David Rose walked into Ray’s house and handed him a B13 ticket that he realized why he had needed to leave, to start somewhere entirely new.

The immediate attraction he had felt towards this business client felt more powerful than anything he had every experienced for another person, even Rachel. Sweet Rachel, who he was supposed to love. Who he was supposed to _want_. He hadn’t every wanted anything as much as he wanted David Rose. Wanted him then, and would continue to want him for the rest of their days.

Patrick’s thoughts wandered as Megan’s parents insisted that she go to some conversion therapy camp, his mind returning to the film in the next scene as their car approached the bright blue and pink Victorian house where the program was being held. Patrick suspected actual conversion therapy operations were not quite so happy looking. Even before he had come to Schitt’s Creek, Patrick had followed the cultural discourse surrounding those places. He had told himself he cared because he was a good person, because any rational person should object to that. Not for any other reason.

David glanced over at him, concerned that his fiancé wasn’t enjoying the movie. “You okay?” David asked, frowning infinitesimally at whatever look was on Patrick’s face at the moment.

“Yeah, it’s good. It’s just making me think about stuff. You know, before I met you.” Patrick replied, focusing on David rather than the film.

David’s lips pursed, as though he wasn’t sure how to respond. David half-jokingly asked him “Regrets?” as he had the morning after his birthday. That time, David had allowed himself to hope but wasn’t entirely secure in Patrick. This time, Patrick knew he was joking. It was one of those things that came with being engaged to someone you love—someone you’re truly getting ready to spend your life with because you desperately want to, not just because you might as well.

“Nope,” Patrick replied with a sweet smile, leaning up to kiss David. His fiancé bent his head down, though when they were seated, their height difference didn’t seem to matter much. Their lips met, David’s spare hand reaching up to stroke the edge of Patrick’s face as he held his neck.

“Good,” David whispered, their mouths millimeters apart. “Me neither.” David smiled and then turned his head back to the television to check how far the film had progressed while they were wrapped up in each other.

Watching as the leader of the camp described in painful detail the physical attributes of a woman to Megan to tempt her into admitting she was gay was too comical for Patrick to relate to. He hadn’t ever been asked to identify himself like that. His parents would probably still not know if David hadn’t invited them to Schitt’s Creek where Johnny had accidentally outed him.

No, that wasn’t true. They would know by now. Patrick had long asked himself if he would have proposed to David without his parents knowing about them. He didn’t think he would have let it get to that point, even though he acknowledged that he _had_ made up so many excuses for how to not tell them. Repeatedly. For over a year.

Patrick was so thankful the decision had been taken out of his hands. Finding out after telling his parents about David that they had already known had not been the disappointment David had expected. Instead, he had been happy to know it, even though he felt a little silly after the fact for worrying when there had been no real stakes.

But the thought did occur to him occasionally, when he thought back to the wording he had used at his surprise birthday party, that he hadn’t actually so much _come out_ as something but instead had just told them about his relationship with David. It wasn’t a way to identify himself or his sexuality, just the current status of he and David as business partners _and_ boyfriends.

It just wasn’t something he had every been asked to clarify. Not in the way this True Directions director lady was asking Megan to do, not in the way David had had to do with his parents and probably also everyone constantly. He was who he was, and he was with David, so no one questioned it.

This brunette Australian girl that came on screen to guide Megan around looked vaguely familiar to Patrick. He continued to watch as she explained their daily schedule, leading Megan in her horrible scrubs to bubblegum pink bedroom that looked like his cousin Allison’s Barbie collection had thrown up on it. Everything was pink and plastic and looked like a dollhouse set.

“Who’s that actress?” Patrick asked, unable to recall what he recognized her from.

“Oh, that’s Melanie Lynskey,” David told him without hesitation.

He launched the browser on his phone, going to IMDB to search for Melanie Lynskey. When she came up “known for” _Ever After_ and _Beautiful Creatures_ , Patrick knew at once who she was and said as much under his breath. _Ever After_ was one of Rachel’s favorite movies.

“Yeah, she plays the nice stepsister in _Ever After_ ,” David explained unnecessarily.

“Right. Rachel loves that movie,” Patrick admitted, unsure of how David might react.

“She has good taste in men _and_ in movies, then. _Ever After_ is fantastic,” David said confidently, surprising Patrick by not saying a word against his former fiancée. “Drew was so good in it. Actually, that whole cast is great,” he added appreciatively.

 _Of course_ David knew Drew Barrymore. Of course he did. One of these days, he and Stevie should play a drinking game with David’s name-dropping.

Melanie Lynskey’s character – Hilary, he thought? – led Megan back out to a 5-step chart. Step 1, admitting you’re a homosexual. The girl stood way too close to Megan for anyone’s comfort and came out to her. “See how easy it is?” she asked.

Now Megan was doing some weird sort of ribbon cutting on a chair, which didn’t make sense to Patrick, but then they were in group therapy, and he paid closer attention as each of the rehabbers (God, were they actually calling them that, as if being gay equated to having a devastating addiction?) introduced themselves in turn.

They ran the gamut of gay stereotypes. The softball player, the Goth, the Jew, the hypermasculine wrestler, the flamboyant and effeminate sissy boy… only a few of them didn’t seem to fall into any common patterns. Patrick wasn’t sure what the deal was with Hilary, the girl who had been showing Megan around earlier, or Graham, who was clearly Megan’s love interest.

And then Clayton introduced himself. Clean cut, no obvious feminization of voice or mannerisms, and worked in retail. If he hadn’t been a caricature in this film, Patrick might never have read him as gay. He had assumed upon meeting David originally that the man was gay, and only later had his assumptions been corrected. Patrick was pretty sure David had had to do that a lot over the course of his adult life.

It had made Patrick think about the way he presented himself. No one had ever, before he had come to Schitt’s Creek and met David Rose, so much as considered Patrick might be anything but straight. Or, at least they had never said as much to his face. Even David had admitted that his own first impressions of the man were clouded by his business knowledge, his choice of clothing, his haircut… David had assumed as much about him as he had about David. And they had both been wrong.

So when Mary asked Megan to tell them all about the first time that she had realized she _might_ be a lesbian, it wasn’t surprising to him that she denied it. They brought up the evidence against her again. Her vegetarianism. Her pictures and posters of women. Her lack of attraction to her awful boyfriend. Her Christian reasons for not having sex with him or masturbating to thoughts of him.

Melanie Lynskey's character – Hilary, he remembered – hit home when she said “It’s really easy to be a prude when you’re not attracted to him, isn’t it?” And it was. It had been so much easier to not have sex with Rachel in high school when such things weren’t done by good, morally upstanding people.

And when they had gone to college and things loosened up a bit, it had really been a struggle to find a good reason to _not_ sleep with her. Because he had loved her, in the only way he could, but he had never _wanted_ her like that. He had seen guys jerking off and knew how much they lusted after the hot girls in their grade, or how his college roommate could not seem to separate himself from his very vocal girlfriend.

It would have been so much easier to say he was saving himself from marriage. But his parents weren’t that religious, and neither was he, and Rachel would have seen through that in an instant. And if he was being honest with himself, at the time, he didn’t consciously acknowledge anything was absent or wrong. He just knew he didn’t seem to desire or enjoy sex with his girlfriend like other guys did. He liked sex, he knew, in theory. He liked jerking himself off, but it wasn’t the same when it was with Rachel. He didn’t feel what he thought he was supposed to feel with her.

“Will you pause the movie for a second?” Patrick asked, and David looked over at him briefly in concern as he reached quickly for the remote. “No, don’t worry, everything’s fine,” Patrick assured his fiancé. “I just have something to say.”

David smiled sweetly at the love of his life and leaned in to offer a supportive kiss. “I’m listening,” David said, ready to hear whatever it was Patrick wanted to say to him.

Patrick sighed heavily, feeling the weight of this resting inside him. “I’ve been thinking about this for a while, because I realized that when I came out to my parents,” he started, “I didn’t really _come out_.”

David looked quizzically at him, sure he had seen Patrick’s confession in that booth at the Café. “Okay,” he beckoned, inviting Patrick to continue.

“I mean, I know we talked about it afterwards. I told them that you’re not just my business partner, you’re my boyfriend. I told them that we’re together.” Patrick paused here, and David felt the need to chime in.

“Patrick, you don’t need to say anything to anyone. I love your parents, and they like me, and they’re going to be at our wedding. Your dad is going to be your best man! They love you, they support you, and us, and you don’t owe anyone anything.”

“No, I… I know that. But I think I owe it to myself. To say it out loud. For me. For you. For us.”

“I love you, Patrick Brewer,” David told him firmly, pressing a hand to his fiancé’s firm chest.

“I just want to clarify,” Patrick continued, taking David’s affirmation in stride, clutching the hand he had placed on Patrick’s chest in his own, twining their fingers together. “I don’t want to explore, so I don’t know if I’ll ever know for sure, but I think I’m gay.” Patrick let out a laugh at how silly his own phrasing sounded as he sat here with the man he was planning to marry. “You know what I mean. I don’t think I’m bisexual, or pansexual, or anything else. I think I’m only attracted to guys.”

“Thank you for telling me,” David replied, supportive as ever. “And if that changes and you do want to explore, or if you figure out something new or unexpected about yourself, you can always talk to me about it. We can always talk about these things.” Patrick gazed into the dark eyes of this man who he wanted to love exclusively for the rest of forever. He didn’t want to kiss anyone else, or hold anyone else, or fuck anyone else. He only wanted David. Maybe he was exclusively David-sexual.

“And for what it’s worth,” David continued, “Not everyone needs to experiment to know who they’re attracted to. I know before I had kissed anyone. And it doesn’t mean I’m attracted to _everyone_ , it just means I can be. Besides, you knew you were attracted to me before I kissed you, right?”

“Oh yeah,” Patrick breathed out, remembering those amazing and also unbelievably confusing months of interacting with David and not understanding how his body was responding and if his feelings were reciprocated.

“Well there you go. You hadn’t ‘experimented’ with a guy, but you knew what felt right,” David assured him. Patrick recalled his words to David that horrible day of their 4-monthiversary. Patrick had told him he didn’t know what right felt like before he met David. That David made him feel right. That was how he had known. That what he felt for David was so _right_ compared with what he had felt with any woman.

“Yeah, so I’m pretty sure I’m gay,” Patrick admitted shakily, ending his statement with a smile.

“Well then,” David said with a smirk, “thank you for telling me. Was that your first time saying that?”

“Yeah,” Patrick admitted. “Even to myself, I’ve never said it out loud before.” He had thought it, and wondered, and figured it made sense. But he hadn’t actually ever ‘come out.’

“How does it feel?” David asked.

Patrick smiled and let out a breath. “It feels good. Like having that out there in the world just makes things a little clearer. And makes me happy that if I attended True Directions, I could at least pass Step 1,” he joked, returning both their attention to the film, which was still paused.

“Are you sure you want to keep watching?” David asked. “It wasn’t supposed to be so heavy. This is one of the more lighthearted films on the list,” he said, furrowing his brow.

“I like it, really,” Patrick insisted. “I’ll probably find it funnier now that I’ve got that off my chest.”

David glanced dubiously at him, assessing his fiancé’s mood. Patrick leaned in, kissed David firmly on the mouth, and then pulled away smiling. “David. I’m gay. I love you. I’m marrying you. I want to finish the movie,” he stated, clearly and assertively with that confidence that he had always tried to exude.

“Fine, fine,” David agreed teasingly, muttering “Bossy” under his breath. Patrick raised one eyebrow at him. He could get bossy later if David wanted him to. That was a game they both enjoyed.

David shivered at the look Patrick was giving him, then un-paused the movie for them to continue watching. They settled back in together, their limbs sinking into comfortable positions holding each other. David pressed a soft kiss on Patrick’s temple, smiling against his auburn hair.

Megan was nearly done with her homosexual realization moment in group therapy as his own thoughts drifted back from that foray into his sexual past. But when Megan stood up and proclaimed “I’m a homosexual” repeatedly, it wasn’t the affirming, freeing feeling Patrick had just had with David.

No, this was _cringey_. Megan drooled as she laughed in the therapy chair, and Patrick wondered for the fiftieth time what the hell David was having them watch.

“How many times have you seen this?” Patrick asked as he watched David mouth along the words. The Jewish kid was saying “I can’t wait to be straight. I’ve always wanted to be.”

David laughed. “It was Stevie’s and my stoner movie for a while, but I’ve seen this dozens of times. Jamie Babbitt and I used to have a book club.”

“Who?” Patrick asked, though by now he was used to David’s name dropping. He knew about a quarter of the names David mentioned, but this one didn’t ring a bell.

“The director, Jamie Babbitt. She’s also a writer and has touched some of the queerest media out there. I wanted to talk to her after her _Orange is the New Black_ stint, but we Roses had fallen from grace by that time.” He sighed. “But she’s done some other really gay stuff, like _Itty Bitty Titty Committee_ and _D.E.B.S_.” At Patrick’s look, David grinned. “Don’t worry, baby, I wouldn’t make you watch those. _But I’m a Cheerleader_ is her only film on our list.”

“Oh, ok.” Patrick smiled. His future husband knew him too well, knew his limits in bed and out. “You know, it’s fine if you want to quote aloud. You don’t have to mouth the words to yourself.”

“Are you sure?” David asked, as the little dinner scene finished. “I would hate to be _that person_.” He grimaced.

“David, you are absolutely _that person_ , and I still love you. Please, quote away. It’ll make it more fun for me, I promise.” David smiled wickedly at him, like he didn’t know what he had just gotten himself into.

They both watched at Mary’s son Rock sipped a fruity drink out of one of those bendy straws that had no real purpose but to look ridiculous and wasn’t suitable for anyone over the age of twelve. “Chug it like a man!” David cried out a half a second before Mary did, berating her son for his effeminate qualities.

Patrick laughed out loud at that. It really did make it better when David quoted along with the movies they watched, even though it drew Patrick’s attention more to his fiancé than to whatever they were viewing that night. He didn’t mind. He could watch David forever.

“He’s hot,” Patrick commented, feeling free enough to openly share his attraction to other men.

“Yeah he is,” David agreed with an eyebrow raise. “And you don’t even know the half of it,” he promised in a vaguely threatening way, knowing what was to come. Patrick grinned and squeezed David’s arm, eyes returning to the screen as Mary sprayed and wiped off some plastic pink flowers that were decorating the front yard of True Directions for no apparent reason. If he asked, he was sure David would rattle off some explanation about artifice and camp, but he was content to not know why some of these choices were made.

“Oh my God, I always forget about this part,” David said, as the camera focused in on the goth girl zapping herself under the covers. Aversion therapy, the girl explained. But then, this was the character who described herself as liking pain, so Patrick was pretty sure it was less aversion therapy and more masochistic masturbation. “So, fun fact, they had to cut this part and a _very extended,_ somehow not explicit sex scene out of the theatrical release to get the rating down from NC-17 to R.”

“This movie is rated NC-17?” Patrick asked incredulously. “Like, the same rating that _Blue is the Warmest Color_ got?” It was one of the other movies that David had introduced to him, and it was entirely in French and _very explicit_. It was two women, though, so he hadn’t been surprised with how much they had been able to get away with. If a film like that had been made with men, it probably wouldn’t ever get shown. But still, it made no sense that this movie received the same rating.

“I know, it’s total bullshit,” David agreed. “Jamie and I bitched about how homophobic the MPAA is when they gave their initial NC-17 rating. I mean, this is the same year that _American Pie_ came out, and that was way worse but got an R.”

“Isn’t that the one with…” Patrick started to ask.

“Yes,” David cut him off in exasperation. “I know. The guy looks like my dad. I’ve been told that enough times, I assure you.”

Patrick winced and rubbed David’s arm in apology. He hadn’t realized it was such a sore spot, or that watching these movies would bring up memories of David’s former life.

Another song came on, and now there was a very suggestive montage of the rehabbers learning appropriate gender roles. The girls were learning how to vacuum and do other housekeeping tasks, but Mary’s movements made everything painfully suggestive, it was so imitative of sex. Then RuPaul’s character was under a car, modeling his nonexistent mechanical skills, his legs spread in invitation, repeatedly talking about things going in and out, and the male rehabbers were all ogling him openly.

“Okay, who wants to go down with me?” David quoted with the film, his previous annoyance forgotten. RuPaul’s question was ostensibly innocent, but all the rehabbers were looking at him like they wanted to devour him.

Then Megan was in a white wedding gown, veil and bouquet and all. Wow, this montage was really covering all the heteronormative bases, huh?

A few of the rehabbers seemed to be secretly exhibiting their _homosexual tendencies_ , and both Mary and RuPaul (what was his character’s name again?) were trying to straighten them out, literally. If the phallic imagery all around camp was any indication, they weren’t doing a very good job of that.

When RuPaul chopped a piece of wood—because that’s how subtle this movie was—and the rehabbers jumped for joy, he corrected them, modeling a hyper-masculine pose and then spitting. It was a master class in overcompensation.

Patrick was lucky that he hadn’t ever felt the need to overcorrect like that. He had always just been himself, and that turned out to mean gay. They had had this conversation before, when Alexis had mentioned David’s “straight-legged, mid-range denim” comment. But wearing Levis didn’t make Patrick any less attracted to guys, and definitely didn’t preclude him from loving someone whose fashion choices were as expensive and bold as David’s were.

He also didn’t need to look like a lumberjack to defend his masculinity, though apparently _But I’m a Cheerleader_ took a different stance on gender performance. Besides, David didn’t seem to mind his blue button-downs and boot cut jeans, if his fiancé’s regularly roving hands were any indication.

The thought made Patrick suddenly _need_ to kiss his fiancé. He leaned over, took David’s nape in his palm, and turned his face to get a better angle. Leaning in, Patrick’s mouth met David’s in a sweet kiss, which David turned filthy after a moment of enjoying it. Patrick gentled the kiss back, placing his free hand over David’s heart as he peppered kisses to the side of David’s mouth, his cheek, his temple, his neck, then leaned his head down to place a kiss over David’s heart where his hand had just been. He rested his forehead there a moment before pulling back to smile at his fiancé.

“What was that for?” David asked, unable to stop the side of his mouth from quirking up joyfully.

“I just love you,” Patrick shrugged. “And I love that I can just be myself with you, and you can be yourself with me.”

“I love that too,” David agreed. “But I’m also game to roleplay some fucked-up gendered scene if you ever want. That could be fun too. In moderation, of course.”

David always had a way of making him laugh, and he did, often. Patrick shook his head, still smiling, and turned his eyes back to the screen.

Another group therapy session was happening. This time, Mary was asking about each rehabber’s “root.” Patrick had no idea what that was, but he didn’t have to wait long.

Mary asked André, the effeminate super flamboyant gay guy, whether he had shared his “root,” and the next thing Patrick knew, his fiancé had raised his voice two octaves and had a _very_ problematic accent as he quoted along “Shit, Miss Mary, I ain’t the only one who don’t got no root.”

Patrick was barely able to process this absurd, unexpectedly hilarious moment before David took on Mary’s voice next, scolding along with her: “André, we don’t use profanity or double negatives here at True Directions.” Then David promptly doubled over in laughter, Patrick assumed, partially at himself in addition to his enjoyment of the movie.

He could only stare at the man he was going to marry in shocked surprise. Patrick didn’t think he truly understood how much David had loved this movie until that moment. He was definitely going to have to watch this again. Maybe getting stoned like David did with Stevie would really open things up for him.

The rehabbers all went around sharing their roots, which were everything from “my mother got married in pants” to “I was born in France.” Clayton, the one Patrick sort of identified with (he imagined himself as a sort of mix between him and Dolph, the wrestler—though neither baseball nor hockey would ever come close to being as homoerotic as wrestling) said his root was that his mother had let him play in her pumps.

Wasn’t that what all little kids did? Played dress-up.

“So, a root is why they think they’re gay?” Patrick asked, to clarify.

David pressed pause.

“Yeah, so like my root would be that I helped my mom pick out her wigs from the age of four.”

“And that’s why you’re not straight,” Patrick extrapolated dubiously, his eyebrows raised at David.

“Well of course, that’s not actually why I’m queer, no. I’m pansexual because it’s who I am, and that’s all I need to know. There’s that whole nature vs. nurture debate, sure, and the genetics stuff they’re trying to figure out. But when Stevie and I discussed this the first time we watched it together, I decided that my root is picking out wigs for TV’s Moira Rose as a child.”

Patrick laughed hesitantly, not sure whether this was funny or sad.

“What would your root be?” David asked, tilting his head curiously and raising one eyebrow. “If you want to play. Which you obviously don’t have to.”

Patrick thought a moment. “Probably that I did theatre,” Patrick decided. “It was a way of sanctioning dress-up, I guess.”

“I knew it!” David shrieked. “I knew there was no way _Cabaret_ was your first production. You played the Emcee way too well.”

“Thank you?” Patrick said, his intonation raising up at the end like a question. Was his fiancé complimenting or insulting him?

“What did you do?” he asked. “School plays, community theatre, college musicals?” David’s eyes were lit up like it was Christmas.

“Um, all of the above.”

David grinned in delight, happy they could still surprise each other. “Patrick Brewer, you were a theatre kid.”

“Yep,” Patrick confirmed hesitantly. “I also played college baseball and intramural hockey, but sure, let’s stereotype me as a theatre kid.”

David laughed, his eyebrows raising up as he squinted joyfully and Patrick’s playful defensiveness. “Oh my god,” David’s eyes widened as he had an abrupt realization.

“What, David?” Patrick was suddenly worried at the look on his fiancé’s face.

“You’re Troy from _High School Musical_ ,” David observed, shock playing on his face. “You’re the jock and the singer.”

“Umm, I haven’t seen that movie,” Patrick started, “isn’t that a Disney—”

“You better hope the next words out of your mouth aren’t about to speak ill of any DCOMs, Patrick Brewer, or so help me…”

“DCOM?” Patrick asked, unsure he wanted to know what that stood for.

David threw his head back in exasperation and he furrowed his brow. “Disney Channel Original Movies,” explained. “I have so much to show you about the world,” David sighed.

Laughing, Patrick patted his fiancé’s cheek. “Let’s stick to the queer film list for now, David. One thing at a time.”

“Fine, but I reserve the right to show you _Zenon_ at any time.”

“Isn’t that an element?” Patrick said, this time being purposefully obtuse as David’s eyes bugged out and he exclaimed “Oh my God!” Patrick had seen his fair share of Disney channel original movies growing up, but right now David didn’t need to know that. He could save that surprise for another time. Maybe he would dress up as Proto Zoa next Halloween just to fuck with David.

“Let’s watch the movie, David. At this rate, we’ll be up too late to get enough sleep and we both know how much trouble you already have getting up to open the store on time.”

“My beloved fiancé could always offer to help with that little issue,” David suggested innocently.

“I already open the store for you four times a week.”

David huffed. “Fine,” he said, then un-paused the movie again.

After the Jewish rehabber cited his root only as “traumatic breasts,” they all separated into pairs to practice what Mary described as one of the best things about heterosexuality: friendship. Megan ended up paired with Graham, of course, since the film was clearly setting them up to be together.

In the next scene, the boys were all gathered to try and play football, but that got derailed when Rock, who was provocatively dressed in a sweaty tank and cut off jean shorts – Patrick refused to call them jorts, no matter what anyone said—and was holding a chainsaw and stroking the handle of a rake suggestively in front of his very ample package.

The film had clearly left subtlety behind and was going for in-your-face absurdity. It wasn’t even suggestive anymore. Rock was basically jerking off a rake. And despite himself, Patrick found himself responding to it with laughter _and_ a growing hard-on. It didn’t help that when Rock walked away, the camera did a slow zoom close-up on his jean-short-clad ass. It was hot. It was funny, but also, undeniably hot.

“Umm, David,” Patrick began hesitantly, looking down at his joggers as his cock went from soft to at least semi-firm.

David followed his gaze and laughed, grabbing Patrick’s hand to place in his own lap, confirming that Patrick wasn’t the only one being affected. Rock was intended to be a temptation, as RuPaul’s character also seemed taken in by his physique and sexual miming.

When RuPaul’s character—Mike, Patrick was pretty sure—threatened them all with watching sports the whole weekend as punishment for ogling Rock like that, Patrick laughed out loud and removed his hand from David’s crotch, squeezing him a little in prurient affection first. “Who’s going to tell him that watching half-dressed, muscular guys doing strenuous physical activity isn’t exactly a punishment?” Patrick asked, the logic of the film perplexing him for a moment.

“Hush, you,” David admonished. “This film is perfect.”

“Okay, David,” Patrick conceded with a grin. He turned his gaze back to the screen.

They were in family therapy, now, and André was describing his root as watching other boys change out of their swimsuits following swimming lessons. When Graham’s homophobic dad called him a faggot, David took the opportunity to quote along with the movie again, taking up André’s mannerisms and voice when he said, “No, he’s right. It was a stupid-ass root.” He emphasized the word “root” in such a way that it made Patrick chuckle. André could stretch out a syllable in the same way Moira did in her regular speech patterns. Maybe that was why David was really good at this.

“Has anyone ever called you that?” Patrick wondered aloud to David as the family therapy continues.

“Of course. Look at me,” David said, gesturing to all of him. He wasn’t exactly invisible. “Not since I moved here, though. For being in Middle America, Schitt’s Creek is surprisingly lacking in homophobia. But in New York, sure. Even Toronto. Yeah, I don’t exactly pass for straight the way you do, Patrick.”

“Right. Right,” Patrick said, thinking aloud. “Nobody’s ever called me that. Because I did. Pass for straight, I mean. No one ever questioned it.”

David murmured an “I love you” and patted Patrick’s knee lovingly, knowing that it was hard to be a queer kid either way.

Watching Graham’s parents threaten to disown her if she didn’t fix “this gay thing” was really hard, but it just made Patrick appreciate his mom and dad even more. He knew they loved him, and even though he had been scared on his birthday, their love and support since he came out to them had shown him that truly, nothing had really change besides them having a fuller understanding of his life.

The rehabbers were all hanging out on the front lawn when a paper airplane with a flyer for a gay club flew in front of them. Patrick had seen many gay bars on tv and in movies, but he had never actually been into one himself. It would be interesting to see how _But I’m a Cheerleader_ dealt with them.

Then Megan was writing a cheer and it was precisely as ridiculous as Patrick expected it to be. “5, 6, 7, 8, God is good, God is straight” sounded like something from the Bible camp a few of his Christian friends went to over the summers as kids.

But then Graham said something that really resonated with him. “This is bullshit, Megan, it doesn’t work. You are who you are. The only trick is not getting caught.” Patrick really appreciated how disillusioned Graham’s character was, how she knew that while the world might be awful, but that didn’t make _them_ the wrong ones, it just meant they had to learn how to navigate it.

Patrick let his thoughts wander. This part wasn’t so funny. It was more real, more visceral. It made him sad. It also made him really thankful that he and David lived in Schitt’s Creek and didn’t have to deal with any of this homophobic crap. No one had ever walked into their store and refused to buy from them. No one had ever seen them kissing or holding hands or dancing together in public and ridiculed or attacked them. They were lucky.

“How about some of that chocolate now, huh?” Patrick asked, needing something sweet to lighten things up a little. It wasn’t surprising that the movie’s tone had changed, but he hoped it would lighten up again soon. He couldn’t deal with another heartbreak.

“Thank God,” David exclaimed, reaching over for the bar of chocolate he had placed next to him on the end table.

He broke off the last row of the chocolate bar and split it between them as Megan went off to do aversion therapy and ran into Clayton and Dolph making out.

Popping a square into his mouth, Patrick savored the dark chocolate. This particular bar had orange zest in it, and was 70% cacao. He didn’t know that much about chocolate, but David assured him it seemed like the good stuff. Patrick had always favored milk chocolate. It was simple, and delicious, and perfectly satisfying. But he was learning to appreciate darker chocolate, and chocolate with that hint of something else that elevated the flavor.

“What do you think?” Patrick asked, knowing David would have an opinion on artisanal chocolate just as he did about everything else.

“I think Megan is a little snitch,” he said instead, gesturing to the screen as she screamed to alert Mary and Mike about the boys’ late night tryst. “But the chocolate is amazing,” he continued. “We should definitely see if Melissa has other flavors so we can carry a variety.”

“It is really good,” Patrick agreed, watching Mary interrogate the boys about who initiated the off-limits contact. “I like the orange.”

“Mmm,” David murmured, agreeing. He popped his remaining square into his mouth before reaching over to break off another row.

Patrick smiled to himself as he watched David eat all four squares before he had even put his second piece in his mouth. The man loved food. And he loved Patrick. And Patrick loved him, so it all worked out. The fact that David didn’t offer Patrick any more wasn’t a surprise, but he knew if he really wanted some, he could ask.

In the film, Mary kicked Dolph out and put Clayton in a _literal_ _doghouse_ in the backyard. Patrick watched as a falling-in-love montage began to play, showing Megan and Graham’s partnership turning romantic. They painted each other’s nails, scrubbed the carpeting, diapered a baby, and then washed dishes together. The dishwashing sponge was a rose, obviously intended to be some in-your-face yonic imagery.

Then Megan walked in on the rest of the rehabbers all dressed up to go out for the night, preparing to sneak out leaving Mary non the wiser. Of the girls, only Hilary was left behind once Megan decided to join them. And then Patrick was thrilled to met Larry and Lloyd Morgan-Gordon, ex-ex gays who, as Megan described, ran the “underground homo railroad.” They were two very sweet older gay men, and Patrick was pretty sure Larry would be considered a “bear.” He had never really gotten to know all those subcultures, and he didn’t seem to fit into any of their stereotypes.

Larry and Lloyd explained that they wanted to help offer a balanced perspective, to sort of cancel out the message of True Directions and offer a path where they didn’t have to suppress or even reject a major part of their identities. Then they dropped the kids off at a gay bar called Cocksucker, which Megan seemed to have a moral opposition to, for some reason.

Patrick watched as David reached back over to break off more chocolate. For the last minute or so, he hadn’t seemed quite so invested in the film and was happy to take small bites of the chocolate to savor it, to rub his fingers together to warm it against his skin, to lightly trace over Patrick’s bare forearm… Patrick wasn’t unhappy about the distraction, though the movie was only halfway through.

Megan looked about as comfortable in a gay bar as Patrick imagine he himself might be. No, he would be much more chill. Megan was reciting some crap from True Directions, and Patrick would thrilled to be anywhere with David, regardless.

“Have you ever been in a gay bar?” David wondered aloud to him. He couldn’t actually believe they hadn’t ever had this conversation. Patrick looked over at him, tipping his head slightly. Sometimes it felt as though they could read each other’s minds.

“No,” Patrick admitted. “The closest I’ve ever come was the Shady Elm with you and Stevie.”

David’s eyes squinted as he grimaced and shook his head. “Ew, no. That doesn’t count.”

“No, then.”

“Not even in Toronto?” David asked, knowing Patrick had attended college in the area. Patrick shook his head. Part of him wondered what it would be like, to dance with David in a room full of other queer couples, to kiss him and know that they were totally safe, to drink and dance and have fun until the small hours of the morning.

But then he remembered that in Schitt’s Creek, they were always safe. No one looked at them holding hands or kissing or smiling at each other in that way they did and thought ill of them. No one threatened to harm them for loving each other. They were happy there, and if that was the only draw to gay bars, then Patrick didn’t need to go to any. It’s not like he was hoping to pull any guys, anyway, so what would be the point of going? He would go with David, on their honeymoon if they went to a city, or if he and David visited New York together someday. But from Schitt’s Creek, the nearest gay bar was nearly two hours away, and that wasn’t really worth it when Patrick had everything he could ever want on the couch right next to him.

“Nope, never. Some of my friends from college would go to places on Church St. occasionally, but no. Is that a problem?” Patrick asked, suddenly wondering if David would think less of him for not having ever been out there in the world.

They had already covered some of this with Ken, but it seemed to still be on David’s mind. He wondered what it would take before David finally believed him.

“I just don’t want you to feel like you’re missing out on anything. The gay club scene is such a big deal… is it something you’d be interested in?”

“For the reasons I think you mean, _no_.” Patrick was clear with his pointed answer. He did not want to go out and pick up some guy at a gay bar. He wanted David, and David alone. “But if we ever found ourselves in one together, I wouldn’t mind. There’s not a lot I _would_ mind, as long as I was with you.”

David’s face softened at that, believing Patrick was telling him the truth.

“It’s not as fun without the drugs, anyway,” David commented casually, in that way that made Patrick’s heart just about break. He didn’t want to delve too deep into David’s past, afraid he wouldn’t be strong enough to handle what he found there.

Patrick squeezed David’s hand in reassurance, then turned his face back to the screen to catch up with where the film was.

The beat of some really sultry song came on, and Patrick watched as Megan danced with some other woman from the bar while maintaining eye contact with Graham the whole time. Then Graham was dancing with the goth girl, all the while keeping that longing eye contact with Megan. It went on for long, quiet moments, and Patrick suddenly decided squeezing David’s hand wasn’t reassurance enough.

He decided to take advantage of the lull in the film, and in one smooth motion leaned over to press his body weight against David’s, abruptly pushing him into the corner of the couch and back over the arm.

Patrick held his mouth millimeters from David’s for a few seconds, building up their anticipation, before pressing his lips to David’s. David’s heart rate skyrocketed and Patrick felt his body snap to arousal beneath his torso. David’s breathing shallowed and quickened, and he jerked his hips up instinctively against Patrick’s abdomen.

A deep groan escaped David beneath him, and Patrick’s hands wandered, caressing his fiancé’s form. Rather than questioning the motion, David gave into it. There was nothing extremely plot-significant happening right now, and no funny lines were being spoken. Just long, lingering glances between two people who so clearly desired each other. They could both relate to that.

As he raked his fingers through David’s gorgeous hair, Patrick ground his lower half into him. Their bodies were practiced, moving together instinctively as though it was second nature. A whimper somehow escaped Patrick’s mouth, his own desires betraying him. He had initiated this with the intention of tempting and teasing them both, a preamble to the real fun that would come later. Now, they were both barreling towards orgasm like they had at the very beginning of their relationship. They still enjoyed a good clothed orgasm once in a while, but their repertoire of bedroom activities had expanded significantly, so there were more things to choose from.

Patrick pulled back slightly, out of breath and trying to re-center himself. “This wouldn’t happen to be a good time to _not_ watch the movie, would it?”

David looked at the screen, his pupils wide and eyes glassy. He tried to focus his brain on Patrick’s question, finding the answer once he was about to ascertain where they were in the film.

“Not yet,” David groans, “But we could always just stop the movie.” Graham and Megan were now making out, presumably in the alley behind the gay bar. Patrick filled in the pieces and assumed that watching Graham dance with the goth girl had finally made her acknowledge her desire for Graham enough to do something about it. Again, _very_ relatable.

“No, let’s keep watching,” Patrick said after a moment, reaching down to adjust himself. “I’m assuming if this is rated NC-17, there’s a sex scene coming up at some point?”

“Yep,” David said quickly, “Though it’s not nearly as explicit as you’d expect.”

“Fine, let’s just put this”—he gestured to the state of their erections and breathlessness—“on pause for a few minutes.” It pained him to say it, but then again, they both occasionally appreciated edging and withholding pleasure. So sure, they could do this. And hey, there was nothing saying they couldn’t still touch each other in the meantime.

Patrick reached down to palm David’s cock, the firmness jumping under his touch. David gasped at the continued attention, but Patrick slowed his hand as David adjusted to the feeling so it wasn’t enough to get him off.

“Two can play at that game,” David muttered, leaning over and reaching into Patrick’s joggers to do the same with him. David’s motions were much less skillful than Patrick knew him to be capable of, and he was clearly attempting the same slow strategy of not quite getting each other off. Just keeping each other aroused enough, until their time came.

Patrick’s eyes tried to focus on the screen, as the kids returned to True Directions and just barely made it back into their beds before Mary came in to check on them with a flashlight.

David’s strokes got longer and slower, and Patrick looked over at him, eyes lidded with desire. “Fuck, David,” he whined.

“I know, baby, me too,” he said. David knew when the scene was coming, and Patrick didn’t. For all he knew it was coming up next, or maybe it was way nearer to the end of the film. How far into this thing were they, anyway? How long had they been watching it? Patrick had no concept of time at this point. It was all a jumble of pink and blue.

This part of the movie wasn’t as captivating to Patrick, but maybe it was just because he was more excited to fuck David than to see whatever the rest of the movie held for them.

Patrick could barely concentrate on the screen as Megan brushed her teeth, a song called “Funnel of Love” playing as the film demonstrated how dominant Graham was in Megan’s mind. She stared into the mirror (and the camera) with a dazed look on her face, clearly thinking about Graham. Patrick was pretty sure he had given similar looks to clients who had come to Ray’s in those first few weeks of knowing David, when his every waking thought was absorbed in this man, figuring him out, figuring out what David meant to him. It was a familiar look for sure.

The next group therapy session, the softball player came out as straight. Jan, who had a mohawk, who had to have a moustache removed during an earlier montage, whose “root” was simply “I like balls,” was claiming to have been heterosexual the entire time.

David quoted along with her: “I just want a big, fat wiener up my—” and then, in André’s voice as he broke in, “—Amen, sister!” and _then_ even did Mike’s line “Who the hell is she tryin’ to fool?!” All without stopping the hand he was stroking Patrick with.

Patrick looked over at him, a little disappointed. He had barely been able to focus on the screen with David’s fingers deftly working his cock, yet David was able to quote the film accurately even as Patrick’s hands returned the favor. He glared at David petulantly, stalling his fingers to be sure David paid attention to him.

“What?” David asked with a grin and an eyebrow raise at the pout on Patrick’s face.

Patrick dipped his head to gesture to David’s lap. “Clearly I’m not doing a good enough job here if you’re still able to quote the film perfectly.”

It was irrational, and Patrick knew it. The reason neither of them was really trying that hard with their hands was to be able to continue watching the movie, which was the whole point of this night, and Patrick tried to remind himself of that. David was just _realllllly_ good with his hands, even when he wasn’t actually trying.

“Aww, baby, you know you can drive me wild. You’ve driven me to wordless, senseless bliss on multiple occasions. I’m sorry I’m able to retain with perfect recollection a few lines from a movie I’ve seen dozens of times while we half-heartedly jerk each other off.” David’s tone betrayed his snark at the end there, his mock-sympathy playing out in the timbre of his voice.

Patrick’s jaw dropped. Okay, so maybe he was having an effect on David, if only to get him riled up. Maybe it was more about how affected he was by David’s fingers on him than about how good he was at stroking David.

“We can stop,” David insisted. “We’ll finish the movie tomorrow night instead.”

“No, not, it’s fine. Let’s just, if you want me to actually enjoy the movie rather than sit here counting the minutes until I get to fuck you, then we’re going to have to stop that.”

David took in his fiancé’s words, realized he wasn’t up for that kind of game tonight, and dropped his grin, replacing it with a sweet, genuine smile. He removed his hand, leaning over to gently kiss Patrick just to the side of his mouth.

“Of course, baby, let’s watch the movie.” David couldn’t believe _Patrick_ was the one in this scenario arguing in favor of _But I’m a Cheerleader_ over immediate sex. Maybe he was getting more out of this than Patrick had expected.

Patrick breathed a sigh as his senses stopped tingling with the absence of David’s hand on him, removing his own fingers with a smile. “Thank you,” Patrick said. “How much longer is there, anyway?” Patrick imagined they were nearing the end.

David hit pause and then play immediately after to check, and both groaned as they realized there was still a solid thirty minutes left. He couldn’t imagine not touching David for that whole time. He just had to make it to this alleged sex scene, and then he was going to show David just how senseless he could drive him.

In the movie, Mike ran after Jan, trying to bring her back. Jan’s character was clearly trying to subvert the softball-playing bull dyke stereotype, but Patrick wasn’t so sure if he was actually supposed to believe Jan was straight. She certainly seemed to think she was though, so he let it go. Far be it from him to presume he knew _anyone_ ’s sexuality better than they did.

In the next scene, Mary found a matchbox from the Cocksucker under Graham’s bed and accused her of sneaking out, or at least knowing who did. Graham diverted Mary’s attention by admitting she had a crush on the Jewish kid, Joel. The fake smile on Graham’s face was so laughably artificial, while Megan’s expression next to her was shocked and confused. Clearly Megan didn’t understand the concept of a beard. Even Patrick knew that.

Despite Mary’s distraction thanks to Graham’s newfound heterosexual desire for Joel, she still interrogated all the rehabbers with their parents present, to see if any of them would crack. Megan’s parents made it perfectly clear that though they didn’t think she went to the Cocksucker, if she had gone and was going to continue to be gay, she was no longer welcome under their roof. Yikes.

Once again, Patrick was so thankful that his parents were who they were. After his birthday, David had explained the whole situation in depth, and Patrick had been so happy to find out that his parents were less upset by his sexual orientation than by him not feeling comfortable sharing it with them for so long.

He was lucky, really, that his mom and dad were so welcoming towards David, that they had wholeheartedly supported him with whatever made him happy. Whether it was pursuing a business degree, or choosing to play baseball in college, or not marrying Rachel, his mom and dad were always there for him. They might not understand everything about his life or why he pursued and loved and needed the things he did, but they always supported him in it. All they wanted was for him to be happy.

Really, they were both lucky. Both sets of parents did the best they could now, in their own ways, and when they joined the two families together soon, they would all be the better for it.

Patrick’s thoughts had drifted and when they returned to the screen, the True Directions rehabbers were being forced to picket outside Lloyd and Larry’s house, with homophobic signs that Mary had clearly painted. The rehabbers went from a night of feeling accepted for themselves to being forced into homophobic protest, internalizing those negative feelings about themselves as they did so.

As they chanted “Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve,” Patrick’s mind went to another movie David had them watch – _Adam & Steve_. That one had been funny too, in an entirely different way. But still funny, and a happy ending, thank God. There seemed to be too few of those in LGBT films – even romcoms, surprisingly. Though _Adam & Steve_ had also brought up a really serious, intense discussion about David’s former drug use. That had really been a tough night, for both of them. It was scary sometimes to think about the life David used to lead, the ways he would have fun. It was so different from Patrick’s normal childhood and young adulthood, and he wasn’t sure it was any better for all the privilege and wealth.

 _Adam & Steve_ had the additional positive of making _the incident_ , as they both now referred to it, seem much less important, given how the film started out with one of the two male leads getting the cocaine shits in front of the other. If they could overcome that, then David’s nighttime oopsie daisy was _nothing_.

Patrick got back into the movie when David squeezed his knee in excitement. Graham was approaching Joel with two pieces of cake, handing him one. Joel (and David, quoting along with him) said, “You are so good at being straight.”

Megan squeezed Rock’s muscles, mirroring Graham’s attempt to pretend working towards heterosexuality.

Joel then said to himself, “Get _her_ cake. Get her the cake,” with David a millisecond behind.

Megan led Rock away to give him a massage with Mike looking on in desire. Maybe Megan _did_ finally understand the beard thing.

Graham complimented Joel, telling him how manly she found him. David took another opportunity to quote along, “I feel like the aggressor,” though Joel was just about the least aggressive character he had ever seen on screen.

Next, Mike and Mary introduced the final test of the True Directions program, after which any passing rehabbers would participate in a “simulated sexual lifestyle,” whatever that meant. Patrick was pretty sure it would be horrifyingly awkward and over-the-top.

The film ran another montage with a peppy song of the rehabbers participating in their heteronormative gender role evaluations: housework, motherhood, and table manners were tested for the women; the guys had to do car maintenance, chop wood, and play football. It was pretty clear from the montage that André was going to fail at everything. He was who he was, and while True Directions was never going to really be able change any of them, André was the most obvious evidence of that.

Yep, Mary was failing him.

And then David was quoting again along with André, who clearly got some of the best lines. “I just wasn’t meant to be butch; I’m a sissy,” and then “Hello!?” and then, the pièce de résistance: “Excuse me, I don’t need some fruit who just proved he’s straight telling _my_ ass how sexy I am.” By the end of the line, Patrick was cracking up at his fiancé’s impression. It was spot on.

And then André had the best mic drop ever: “Congratulations, liars! You know who you are, and you know who you want. Ain’t nobody gonna change that. _Shit!_ ” before walking away with a hip swing and hair flip. At David’s “ _Shit!_ ,” Patrick lost it. He hunched over, laughing from the gut, leaning his head into David’s chest as he shook with amusement.

“I told you it was funny,” David observed as his fiancé seemed to finally appreciate the genius of this movie.

“You’re the funny one, asshole,” Patrick countered, pulling back just enough to swat David playfully on the thigh. “You’re really good at that impression. I could watch you do this forever.”

David’s mouth twitched in a suppressed grin, but Patrick knew him better than that. David loved praise, and loved Patrick’s compliments the best. The little blush at Patrick’s temples was always what gave him away, but for David, the telling blush was his ears. When David was embarrassed or turned on, his ears would flush entirely. It was adorable, and also really helpful for figuring out David’s mental state.

David looked back to the screen, seemingly still aware of Patrick’s eyes on him. “Hey baby,” David said after a moment, turning back to look at Patrick with a grin on his face.

“What?” Patrick said, a little wary of David’s predatory smile and the promising look in his eyes. “Is it time?” he asked hopefully, looking to verify what was happening on screen.

Sure enough, Graham and Megan were both sneaking out of bed in the middle of the night to have a secret tryst, and this must be the extended sex scene David had promised would be later in the movie. Fucking finally. It took long enough. The movie had to be almost over.

Patrick suspected he had never been so happy to see two women making out on screen before, because it meant he had a few solid minutes where he could focus on David and finish what they started earlier.

All at once, their semi-firm cocks jumped back to full attention, thrilled at this turn of events. Patrick pressed forward as he had done before, moving his body horizontally over David’s as the taller man moved his legs up onto the couch so they were parallel. Patrick loved having David’s weight on top of him; it made him feel safe, and loved, and wanted. But he also loved being able to look down at David’s face, to feel in control of the situation, even though that wasn’t always the case.

“How much time do we have?” Patrick asked, grinding his cock against David’s, his thighs already shaking with want. David groaned beneath him, their combined arousal already escalating and giving the air around them a kind of headiness. He looked over at the screen, screwing his eyes shut to try and concentrate on remembering how long Graham and Megan’s sex scene lasted.

“Three minutes, maybe,” David estimated with a gasp, as Patrick’s fingers wormed their way underneath him to grip his ass and pull them closer, increasing the friction between their bodies exponentially. “Fuck,” David breathed out.

“Think we can do it?” Patrick asked, his head lolling to the side to work on David’s neck.

David’s breath quickened beneath his tongue, his neck muscles tensing and heart beating rapidly in his throat. “I bet I can get you off faster,” David challenged.

Patrick laughed and bit down on David’s collarbone, laving the bite afterwards with his tongue. He had made sure it was low enough to be covered by one of David’s many sweaters—they were both much better about hiding hickeys and love bites nowadays, and had clarified their boundaries about PDA since the early days of their relationship. “I’ll take that bet,” Patrick whispered against David’s ear, finding the spot behind it that made David keen.

It wasn’t often that they got each other off like this anymore, and Patrick sort of missed it. He hadn’t really enjoyed dry humping with Rachel when they were together, obviously, and it was a thing that he had always kind of expected would only define his earliest sexual encounters. And with David, though they had taken things _slow_ at first, they were always likelier to go for handjobs or blowjobs than frotting, though they both always enjoyed it whenever they did it.

And now Patrick remembered why. The friction was so good, but he wanted more. The feel of David’s hard cock against his own was delicious, but he couldn’t get enough, and he could tell it wasn’t going to happen fast enough to finish by the time this scene was over. “Ugh,” Patrick groaned, reaching down under the couch to pull out a small travel bottle of one of their favorite lubes.

David opened his eyes at the feel of Patrick shifting on top of him, and then laughed in surprise as he saw what was in his fiancé’s hands. His brilliant, competent, _resourceful_ fiancé. Patrick leaned to the side, shifting his body off of David so his back was up against the rear of the couch and popped the cap off the bottle as David took the hint and pulled his cock out of his sweatpants, desperate for Patrick’s touch. He drizzled a bit of the lube over David’s cock, missing a little and getting a few drops on their clothing (thank God it was water-based, or David would never forgive him) before squeezing a bit onto his own hand, closing the cap awkwardly, and dropping it to the side of the couch. Time was still of the essence.

Patrick swiped his hand over his cock, once, twice, coating it in the lube, before switching to David’s. He stroked quickly, watching David’s face as he was taken by surprise at Patrick’s efficiency and assertiveness. David moved his hand to Patrick and stroked him as well. The music was also providing a nice soundtrack that helped cover the squishing and slurping sounds of their hands on each other. In the back of his mind, Patrick noted that it was heavy on violin, but that wasn’t really important right now.

“Come on baby,” David gasped out after a few moments, his hand working Patrick’s cock as best he could after a year of getting to know what he liked. “Make me come, I know you will. You’re so good to me. So good—” he broke off, as Patrick’s finger swiped the head of his cock, dipping slightly into the slit to spread his pre-come around and add to the lubrication already there.

“God, David, I love you so much,” Patrick replied, his own thighs trembling, the tension in his body coiling up with his need for release. “Please, please, baby. I need you,” he said.

“I’ve got you,” David said shakily, his voice breaking as Patrick’s grip tightened just slightly as he usually did when he knew David was getting close. David glanced over at the screen, trying to assess how much time had passed. Not that it mattered. He could always pause the movie, but it was so much more fun this way.

“You’re almost there, Patrick, aren’t you? Will you come for me, baby? Come all over my hand. Come on, Patrick, I know you’re close,” David nearly whispered.

“You’re not going to win,” Patrick ground out, redoubling his efforts, pulling out every trick in the book he knew could make David come faster. “You’re the one who’s close,” Patrick countered.

“Fuck,” David said, resting his forehead on Patrick as they both looked down to watch their hands working each other’s cocks. It was a heady sight, and one that helped them both get there faster.

“You’re so good to me, David,” Patrick whined. “You make me feel so good.”

And then David was coming, Patrick’s words of praise quickly tipping him over the edge. They both had a bit of a praise kink, though David was more susceptible to it in moments like this than he realized. “So beautiful,” Patrick said as he watched David spurt over his hand, his fingers gently milking the rest of David’s come out of him as David’s hips finally stilled.

Through it all, David’s hand barely stopped moving. It slowed slightly, while his orgasm took over his body, but David’s practiced hand avoided clenching him too hard as every nerve in his body sparked up like fireworks. But David was too good at this, too deft with his fingers and with his tongue which was now working on Patrick’s neck.

So it was only a few more seconds before Patrick, too, was jerking up hard into his fiancé’s hand, thick ropes of come marring the tanned skin of David’s forearm. Patrick’s legs straightened, his stomach tightened, and a low groan escaped him as he came. David pulled his hand back once Patrick’s movements had stilled enough to indicate his body was coming down from it all, and then swiped the come off his arm with his tongue, leaving a thick coat of saliva in its wake. The sight blew Patrick’s pupils even wider. Even now, more than a year into their relationship, Patrick could still practically get off on watching David do things like this.

“Jesus, baby,” Patrick breathed out, watching David clean up his come. “That’s so hot, you’re so beautiful, look at you.”

David’s glassy eyes looked up at him with desire. He held Patrick’s gaze as he continued to clean himself up, then pulled Patrick’s hand towards him and started to lap at his own come. “Fuck,” Patrick said, his eyes rolling back into his head. He thought he felt himself start to harden again, but they still had the rest of the movie to finish.

Shit, the movie. They both came back to themselves, looking over at the screen suddenly, the mood broken. They were both sweaty and exhausted from their speedy tryst, and the movie was still playing. Patrick reached down with his free hand to tuck David back into his sweatpants, replacing his own softening cock into his joggers before situating his body weight back on top of David. He lay his head down on David’s chest, which was still heaving slightly with breathlessness.

It seemed like they had just made it. Megan was laying in bed, looking up at the True Directions crew, who were berating her for her sleepover with Graham the night before. Patrick’s mind was hazy as he watched Mary castigate Megan for her sexuality and kick her out of the program when Megan refused to partner with Rock in the final sexual simulation.

Megan packed her bags and walked away after finding out that Graham had agreed to do the simulation with Rock instead. It seemed like she had been hoping Graham would leave with her, but Graham’s dad had threatened to cut her off and apparently that was more important. So Graham was going to participate in it, and then graduate, and Megan was out.

She walked to Lloyd and Larry’s house, and asked them how to teach her to be a lesbian, and there was a really sweet line about her just having to continue being who she was, and Patrick thought that was really nice. But Patrick could feel himself slipping out of consciousness, his head comfortably resting on David’s warm, broad chest, the rise and fall of his breathing a meditative movement. He could almost fall asleep.

When Patrick woke up, David was softly running his hand up and down his back. Patrick still seemed to be on top of David, cramped together on his tiny couch, but David didn’t seem to mind. “How long was I asleep?” Patrick asked, blinking his eyes to clear them.

“Not too long. I paused the movie when I realized you were out,” David assured him. “Want to finish it?”

“Yeah, but give me a minute here,” Patrick said, cherishing this quiet moment between the two of them. He felt so safe and loved in David’s arms, so precious to him. He focused on the feel of David’s fingertips on his back, his other hand gently stroking the nape of Patrick’s neck where his hair was shaved close. Every nerve in Patrick’s body felt alive, some of them joyous and contented, some shocking awake beneath David’s attentive ministrations. “Mmm,” Patrick vocalized, nuzzling further into David’s chest.

“I love you so much, Patrick Brewer,” David said, clearly feeling the moment as much as Patrick was.

Patrick looked up at him, saw David’s open smile, and used his hands on the empty space of the couch to leverage himself enough to kiss his fiancé. “How did we get this lucky?” Patrick whispered, kissing David again just to the side of his mouth just as David had done for their second-ever kiss.

David just grinned in agreement. They really were lucky.

“Okay, sleepy boy, up,” David joked, his hands ceasing their ministrations to help Patrick right himself. Slowly they returned themselves to their vertical positions on the couch, nestled into one another comfortably. “More chocolate?” David asked, reaching over to get some for himself. “You probably need some energy after all that, huh?”

Patrick blushed at his temples, but nodded, putting his palm up to receive however many squares David was willing to share with him. David broke off a row, then took the row and split it evenly, putting two squares into Patrick’s open hand and keeping the remaining two for himself. “Wow, you really do love me,” Patrick joked, seeing David’s generosity.

“Oh, shut up,” David shot back with a smirk. “I can share.”

“When you want to,” Patrick countered. “I appreciate you sharing _our_ chocolate with me, David. Thank you.”

David huffed and grabbed the remote with his now-free hand, turning to Patrick before he resumed the film. “Okay, so I don’t know how out of it you were before, so I’m gonna recap a bit. Mary kicked Megan out, Graham stayed, and Megan went to live with Lloyd and Larry and the other ex-ex gays. Dolph, the wrestler guy, is also there. Do you remember any of that?” David finished.

“Not much,” Patrick admitted, because he had been hazier than he thought he was at the time. David had really done a number on him.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” David said, smirking appreciatively.

“It’s always a compliment, David. You know what you do to me,” Patrick replied, remembering how debauched and delirious he had been after only a few minutes. David was masterful. 

“Well, good. Anyway, there’s not much left,” he said, pressing play so the movie resumed.

Mary was leading the rehabbers in their final step, the simulated heterosexual lifestyle, which was exactly as cringey as it had sounded. They were all dressed in nude bodysuits with fake fig leaves covering their crotches and the girls’ breasts. It was all so painfully biblical, in the most absurd way. Even Rock was there, as promised, also in the bodysuit.

Mary guided them through a ridiculously pedestrian, sexless simulation, where the girl lay on the bed, spread her legs (invitingly, not so much) and the boy lay between them. When it was Graham and Rock’s turn to complete the simulation, Graham lay there lifelessly, and Patrick cringed as Mary directed _her own son_ Rock to get between her legs, “insert himself” into her, and then begin thrusting. It was so ridiculous, Patrick had to laugh to keep from grimacing.

Not only was this whole thing painfully cringey, but it also reminded Patrick of the kind of sex he used to have. Not that the sex was always bad, but the rehabbers on screen put into sharp relief the difference between sex with someone you were attracted to and the shell that was sex with someone you _weren’t_. Sure, it might still feel good, and if you cared enough about the person, you would try to make it good for them too, but it just wasn’t in the same league. He shook his head sadly, trying to shake himself out of the fun that this scene was putting him in.

“Yeah, I know,” David said in response to Patrick’s facial expression. “That’s why this is a good movie to watch while inebriated. Some of the cringey stuff is less cringey and becomes way funnier. Plus, I’m much sloppier with my quotes when I’m stoned,” David observed, knowing Patrick would appreciate seeing that.

“Yeah, let’s smoke the next time we watch this,” Patrick agreed. He didn’t partake as often as David and Stevie did, but in this case, he felt it was warranted. Plus, he wanted to be in on those hilarious stoner movie nights. Carefree David was a special kind of David he didn’t always get to see.

“Next time?” David asked, shocked that Patrick might want to watch _But I’m a Cheerleader_ with him a second time.

“Well, yeah. You love it, and I love you, and we’re going to be married. So it’s kind of my husbandly duty to watch stuff you love with you. Besides, I’d like to watch it at least once through without stopping repeatedly,” he said, though he wouldn’t trade talking and fucking in the middle of tonight’s showing for anything.

The look on David’s face reminded Patrick how much he loved the man. David was clearly still not used to other people loving and accepting him for who he was, and not just tolerating the things he loved, but wanting to experience them _with_ him. Perhaps he could convince David to come to his baseball games this summer, by that same logic.

As the sexual simulation continued, Mary directed her son Rock and Graham in their exercise. When Rock asked about foreplay, David quote-shouted along with Mary, “Foreplay is for sissies! Real men go in, unload, and pull out!”

Patrick shook his head, appreciating how delightfully satirical this movie was, not just about sexual orientation, but about gender and heteronormative gender roles. It was ridiculous, which made it funny, but it was also kind of scary because a lot of people did really believe this stuff.

As the movie neared its end, Dolph and Megan were talking about conspiring to crash the True Directions graduation ceremony to get Clayton and Graham to run away with them. Patrick knew the point of the movie was Megan’s love for Graham conquering all, but he really identified more with Dolph and Clayton, so he hoped things would work out for them.

Dolph and Megan arrived at the graduation ceremony as everyone was taking their seats. Proud homophobic parents (an oxymoron if Patrick had ever heard one) were arriving to support their newly “heterosexual” children, all of whom were dressed as expected in bright pink or blue, respectively. The girls were wearing bubblegum pink vinyl dresses with poufy skirts, pale pink opera gloves, and their hair in updos. The boys had primary blue vinyl suits on with comedically giant pale blue bowties. All the graduation family attendees were in white. It was such a stark contrast, and Patrick was sure it was an intentional aesthetic choice, like everything else in this movie was.

Megan and Dolph, on the other hand, were wearing camo, and then running across an open field, where the camo was not doing anything to help them blend in. They were so obvious about it and were running right out in the open. Patrick wondered whether it was the type of shot the filmmakers used that made it look so unrealistic or if people at the graduation ceremony were just paying such poor attention to them that they weren’t seen.

Patrick watched as Dolph retrieved Clayton easily from the graduation lineup. The graduates were walking down the aisle as their name was called, and it was almost more like they were getting married to heterosexuality than going up to receive a diploma. Dolph and Clayton ran back to Lloyd and Larry’s van, and Patrick was so happy for them, but the film wasn’t over yet.

Megan ducked into an empty row at the back of the seating area and grabbed Megan as she started to walk up the aisle. She wasn’t convinced. For whatever reason, Graham thought it was more important to do what her parents wanted and pretend to be a good little heterosexual. At least until she got caught again.

Megan ran back to find Dolph had been more successful, and he and Clayton were enjoying each other’s company once more. Megan needed a different strategy.

And then, for some reason, because _apparently_ she just always brought it with her, Megan was wearing her orange cheerleading uniform from earlier in the film. Patrick had noted that she carried her pom-poms with her everywhere, but that was a little different than having the full get up at her disposal on the spot. Unless Megan had thought she might need to cheerlead at the graduation and had planned for this. Patrick tried not to think too hard about it.

Whatever. Now Megan was walking up to the graduation ceremony, cheerleading uniform on, pom-poms in hand, no longer trying to hide. Patrick was sure there was more in-depth interpretation he could do on this scene, but it was really late and at this point, Patrick just wanted the movie to be over so he could go to bed with David.

And then Megan was cheering. Not the “God is good, God is straight” cheer she and Graham had written earlier, but a new one that expressed her feelings for Graham. No, this one was actually kind of sweet, and it didn’t hurt that David was quoting along with it: “1, 2, 3, 4 - I won't take no anymore! 5, 6, 7, 8 - I want you to be my mate! 1, 2, 3 ,4 - You're the one that I adore! 5, 6, 7, 8 - Don't run from me cause this is fate!” Yeah, that was cute. David was cute.

And then Graham ran to Megan, and they fled together back to the Morgan-Gordon vehicle, jumping in the back as the car sped away to queer freedom.

Patrick turned to David, who was smiling in that way he did where one side of his mouth quirked up slightly and the other side down slightly. It was one of his favorite David facial expressions. Not that he could ever truly pick a favorite. They were all pretty great, especially when they were directed at him. “That was fun,” Patrick said, smiling back.

“Yeah, I love it,” David agreed. “But there’s one more scene,” he said, turning his gaze back to the screen as a mid-credits scene popped up where Megan’s parents were attending a PFLAG meeting. It was just what Patrick needed, and he sagged against David with a happy sigh.

“That’s really nice,” Patrick observed. “I’m glad they added that bit. It’s good to know that Megan and Graham were happy to be together either way, but I’m happy Megan’s parents are trying to be better.”

David nodded as the credits continued and a peppy song came on. David put his arm around Patrick, rubbing his shoulder lovingly as they listened to “Together Forever in Love” play through the credits.

“That’s us, you know,” David said, gesturing towards the tv. Patrick looked at him quizzically. “Together forever in love. That’s us.” Patrick’s eyes widened as he took in what David was saying, how vulnerable he was being despite the cheesiness of it all.

“Yeah,” Patrick agreed, "It is.” And they would be together forever in love. He was sure of it.

“Okay,” David said, stopping the DVD and turning the television off. “Bedtime, Patrick.”

“No shower?” Patrick asked, looking down at how disheveled and covered in dry come and saliva they both were.

“Well, if you don’t mind, I was hoping to get a little dirtier first,” David suggested with a twinkle in his eye. Patrick’s eyes widened and he grabbed David’s hand to pull him towards their bed.


End file.
